Tuesday, August 25, 2015

One of my favorite things about blogging are the relationships that you develop around the world . I originally met Lara Statham awhile back when she was still working at Turin Italy Guide as co-founder. Lara was born in the UK and has lived all over the world including Greece, Hungary, Jordan and Egypt, but has called Turin in Piedmont, Italy home for the last 18 years. A fan of Piedmontese cuisine & wines with a penchant for Langhe reds, she has written for various publications about Turin & Piedmont including Time Out, Wine Pass and the Turin Italy Guide. I asked Lara to share with me something unique about the wine from her region and today we discuss the grape, timorasso.

Timorasso is one of my all-time
favorite white wines from Piedmont, Italy. I have a tendency to
having lots of favorites (!!!) but this one really stands out.
Perhaps surprisingly, not many people have actually heard of it. Only
those ‘in the know’. Sometimes I’m inevitably asked what my
favorite wine is. On mentioning the name Timorasso, I am either met
with mild puzzled looks or wide-eyed expressions accompanied by sage
nods of approval.

I first tried it purely by chance at
Parola wine bar in downtown Turin, the capital of Piedmont. When the
owner told me that my usual white of choice, Arneis, was off their
chalkboard menu I experienced a twinge of disappointment. I love
savoring the ripe pear and apricot flavors and crisp freshness of a
glass of Arneis, especially during the summer months.

But my disappointment didn’t last for
long.

I’m always eager to try new wines…and
as my eyes scanned the board they rested on a new variety…Timorasso,
a wine that, until that moment, I don’t think I’d ever heard of
before.

It’s certainly not one of the better
known grapes picked from the terraced vineyards of Piedmont’s
Monferrato (or Langhe) hills. But it is also not new. I found out
that it is one of the most ancient indigenous grapes grown in these
parts. I also discovered that some time ago it had fallen out of
favor and risked extinction in the 1980s.

It was only due to the perceptive
foresight of Walter Massa of Vigneti Massa (in business since 1879!)
that the Timorasso variety was saved and production of this
overlooked grape began to grow. The grapes are used both for white
wines and grappa. It is one of the most exciting ‘terroirs’
in Piedmont…and in all of Italy for that matter!

Anyway, back to the drink…

From the moment I put that delicious
glass of Timorasso to my lips and took that first delicious drop I
fell hook, line and sinker for this delightfully full-bodied,
interestingly complex wine. Flavors and aromas that you too will
hopefully experience include whispers of lemon and lime, toasted
hazelnut, smooth caramel, subtle spice and aromatic mountain herb.
Hints of smoky, aromatic cigar-box flavors swirl deliciously around
the mouth. Matured in oak, it has a lovely smoooth, creamy
texture. It goes exceedingly well with chicken dishes, grilled
sausages, smoked meats and cheeses…spaghetti carbonara
apparently…and bar snacks!

The ‘viticultural’ DOC area
where Timorasso is produced is called ‘Colli Tortonesi’.
It covers a vast area in southeast Piedmont that stretches from the
picturesque Monferrato to the border with Lombardy. The Italian city
of Tortona lies at the foot of the Monferrato hills. Historically
famous for its noble families and excellent wine growers it was once
known as ‘Derthona’. This name, coming from Roman times,
can often be seen on Timorasso wine bottle labels.

Monday, August 17, 2015

Many of us are familiar with some of
the larger, well-known lakes through Italy including Lake Como, Lake
Garda, Lake Maggiore and maybe even Lake Bolsena or Lake Trasimeno.
Over the last few weeks I've been highlighting some specific towns
within Italy including Rome and
Bergamo as part of the
#hipmunkcitylove project as I always love talking about Italian
travel, especially those that I have visited. In order to stay true
to what my blog is all about I felt it was most appropriate to also
discuss perfect day trips to local wine regions for visitors to get a
true sense of the area's local wines.

Today I'm showcasing the town of
Sirmione, Italy that I visited back in 2009. Sirmione is a
really neat town located on the southern part of Lake Garda. It
issituated on a peninsula that juts out into the lake.
Lake Garda is the largest lake within Italy and touches a few
regions within Italy including Lombardy, the Veneto and Trentino-Alto
Adige. The northern part of Lake Garda is more mountainous where the
southern part is made up of morainic hills formed by the glacial
forms.

Town of Sirmione, Italy

The town of Sirmione is located in the
province of Brescia in the Lombardy region. I love in Italy
when I enter towns that are surrounded by walls or fortresses, and
there are many of them, as I feel like I'm stepping back into
ancient, medieval times. Upon arriving in Sirmione you can park
your care and enter through the fortress walls surrounded by an
ancient moat to access the old historic city center. There are some
very interesting attractions within the city including the Grotte
di Catullo, which is an ancient Roman villa where you roam
through the archeological ruins.

There is the opportunity to also
visit the museum inside to scope out the objects that were excavated.
In addition, there is also a neat little climb up the Rocca
Scaligera di Sirmione. It's a
castle that provides great views over the town and peninsula,
as well as the water. With many other attractions to see including
beaches, thermal baths, and quaint, peaceful churches there is plenty
to satisfy your needs in the town of Sirmione.

Rocca Scaligera di Sirmione

View from the top of Rocca Scaligera in Sirmione

Rocca Scaligera di Sirmione

Rocca Scaligera di Sirmione

For you wine lovers the closest wine
region is Bardolino, named after the town, that is within
reach of Sirmione located on the southeastern shores of Lake Garda.
If you're familiar with the Valpolicella wines of the Veneto,
Bardolino is made of a blend of the same grapes corvina,
rondinella, and molinara. The
main difference is that it's alighter style red wine
that is less tannic and less alcoholic than the wines of
valpolicella. For some of the best of this particular wine region
seek out a Bardolino Superior Classico DOCG.

For a recommended stay while in
Sirmione you can check out the Yachting
Hotel Mistral. I hope you get a chance to visit this wonderful
area as it's very accessible to many other great places to visit
including Verona, Brescia, Mantova, etc.. Have you had the wines of Bardolino vs. Valpolicella?

Tuesday, August 11, 2015

Andiamo a Roma! Yesterday you may have caught my podcast with Rick Zullo discussing an introduction to Italian wines including the Lazio wine region. If you have been to Italy, most likely you have visited Rome, the capital of Italy in the central region of Lazio along the Tyrrhenian Sea. As we all know, Rome is rich in history, art, architecture, and much more, but let's escape today from the city and chaos and journey to wine country outside of Rome. Here are some of the best areas to visit outside of Rome for a day trip to experience the wines of Lazio.

You may not immediately gravitate to the Lazio region when it comes to wine. Lazio is known for producing easy drinking, simple table wines, without drawing much excitement, but there are some top whites and reds that you can find that are worth experiencing. Plus, any time you visit a wine region you learn so much about the cultural history of an area, plus the climate, terrain, and much more.

If you are a lover of whites you will be able to appreciate this region. My first suggestion, that is near to Rome, is to venture out to the Castelli Romani area to see the production of frascati, the primary white wine. There are a number of towns in this area in the Alban hills, Colli Albani, which is about 12 miles south of Rome. Wine lovers have enjoyed Frascati for over 3,000 years in this region. What makes the winemaking of this region unique is the volcanic soil. Volcanic soil imparts lots of character to wine that is grown on it, especially minerality and complexity. Frascati wine is a blend of the malvasia bianca, trebbiano and bombino bianco grapes. Check out the Frascati Superiore DOCG wines as well as the Cannellino di Frascati DOCG, which is a dessert wine.

If you're a red wine lover, the best wine area outside of Rome to visit would be the town of Piglio, about 30 miles southeast of Rome in the Frosinone province. The primary red grape of Lazio is the unique cesanese del Piglio made with 90% of the cesanese grape. Cesanese is an aromatic red grape producing wines with spice, ina concentration that shows the ability to age. Outside of the cesanese grape, most of what you'll find in this region for red wines are your typical international varieties like cabernet sauvignon and merlot.

Don't get me wrong, no one should miss visiting Rome for its history alone, but take a day off and enrich your experience with a visit to the wine region. It might be overwhelming with the number of choices available to stay in Rome, but if you are looking to base yourself out of Rome for your vacation and excursions, consider Worldhotel Ripa Roma in the Trastevere district of Rome.

Monday, August 10, 2015

One of greatest parts I find about
blogging are meeting folks from all around the world and sharing our
passions for wines and travel throughout Italy. One of those
contacts that I casually became acquainted with online is an American
expat, Rick Zullo, whom now
lives in Rome and provides an in depth look and lots of tidbits into
living life in Italy, especially Rome. I was honored when he
reached out to me for a podcast interview to discuss Italian wine.

This would be the perfect time to
announce my recent passing of the North American Sommelier
Association Italian Wine Specialist certification exam. This program
came to the Boston area in the fall of 2014 and after 6 long months
of immersing myself in the books of Italian wines and living and
breathing it daily I'm proud to announce that I passed the exam with
distinction.

I wanted to sign up for this course when I saw it was
coming to Boston because I want to grow to be a fantastic online
source for Italian wine and to help promote and educate the world on
what Italian wines are all about. I will not ever call myself an
expert when it comes to Italian wines as I feel that it takes years
to truly know the ins and outs of all there is to know. There are folks that have been doing this for 20-30 years and these
are some of the folks I admire that truly have sampled a number of
these unique and indigenous varietals that I write about, met
countless winemakers and traveled through all the regions of Italy
really digging in and learning the terroir. I do the best I can from
all my travels throughout Italy and what I've learned and am
continuing to learn, but I haven't loved wine all my life so my
experience is much more limited. Every person must start somewhere
though, right?

Last week Rick and I provided an
introduction to just a few of the Italian wine regions including
Lazio where Rick resides, Sicily and Campania. We discussed some of
the top wines and grapes from these regions along with other tidbits
of winemaking throughout Italy. Join us for about 30 minutes for a
brief introduction to Italian wines and stay following my journey as
we explore the never ending, intriguing world of Italian varietals.So join Rick and myself for this podcast and get yourself started on an introduction to Italian wines.This week I'll also feature a perfect wine day trip outside of Rome if you're looking to experience the wines of Lazio for yourself. Stay tuned!

Saturday, August 8, 2015

This month's Wine Pairing Weekend that
I participate in the 2nd Saturday of month is hosted by
Christy Majors of Christy's
Palate and the theme is Portugal. Yes, I know, this is an
Italian wine blog, but it's nice to venture out every now and shake
it up a bit. Portugal, like Italy, has some very good values when it
comes to wine. The wine I'm sharing with you today, 2013 Agro Batoreu
Terre Silvestre, is from the Tejo region of Portugal, formerly known
as Ribatejo. The name originates from the Tejo River, also known as
the Tagus River, that impacts this region greatly. This region is located
closely to the capital of Portugal, Lisbon. The very fertile plains
of this area can be overly fertile so its up to the producer to
control the growth of grapes in order to provide quality wines.
According to the Wines of Tejo, “Tejo is known as the land of
vineyards, olive groves, cork forests, Mertolengo cattle, and the
famous Lusitano horses”.

Agro Batoreuwas created in 1988, but
the brand is a combination of two families, Batoreu and Canteiro,
whom both have been making wine in this region since 1860. The 2013 Agro Batoreu Terre Silvestre is a blend of 50% touriga franca, 30% syrah and 20% alicante boushet.
This wine is grown within the Tejo province in their Aveiras de Cima
vineyards of the Bairro zone, 1 of the 3 wine production zones of the
Tejo. Deep in color with violet hues this was a full bodied, rich,
elegant and concentrated wine displaying blackberries. Retailing in
the low $20's

The touriga franca grape dominating
this wine is indigenous to Portugal and is widely planted in the
Douro Valley of Portugal, but is also found throughout other areas
including Tejo. It's typically blended with other grapes as shown in
this wine today. It's typically an aromatic grape, rich in dark
fruits, with good body and color. Growers appreciate this grape as
it's very hardy and easy to grow.

I paired this wine with an asian dish
made of teriyaki marinated pork tenderloin with roasted vegetables
and brown rice. I try to eat rather healthy in my house so I like to
eat lots of protein and vegetables. Plus, with the local farmshare
that I'm participating in this summer I'm getting bombarded with and
who doesn't love roasted veggies? I felt that the teriyaki marinade
was the right choice with this pork dish and wine, but it would
probably stand up even better to lamb or steak due to the
concentration and full body in the wine.

It was fun exploring and touching upon
this region as I'm very green to the wines, but from the ones I have
always sampled from Portugal I've always been impressed. Check them
out for yourself! Here are the rest of the bloggers from my group sharing their food and wine pairings of Portugal.

Tuesday, August 4, 2015

Once a year, my family gathers to spend some quality summer time together up at my parent's house on Lake Winnipesaukee in New Hampshire. I always enjoy talking to my father's first cousin, who is originally from Bergamo, Italy. Bergamo is located in the region of Lombardy, or Lombardia, which is a major industrial region and a financial powerhouse. It's a shame she hasn't been able to visit since she was a child. I thought this would be a perfect opportunity to provide a suggestion for a perfect day trip from Bergamo to a major wine destination for the region, Franciacorta. If you are a sparkling wine lover, you won't want to miss it.

The city of Bergamo consists of two parts, an upper and lower level, known as the Alta Citta e Bassa Citta, respectively. These different levels of the city are connected by a funicular, funicolare, and there are also walking trails to get from one point to another.Bergamo is a city known for its medieval art, and you can find many of the main sites located on the upper level. There you will find the Piazza Vecchia, Basilica di Santa Maria Maggiore and the Duomo di Bergamo e Battistero. For art lovers there is also the Carrara Academy Gallery. The lower level of Bergamo features mostly residences.

Those looking to escape outside the city for the day for great food and wine should consider Lake Iseo, Lago Iseo, that is home to one of the top sparkling wines in all of Italy, Franciacorta. It's situated at the base of the glacially formed lakes that sit on the morainic axis. These stones and minerals impart one of the most common characteristics of Franciacorta wines -- minerality. The climate of this region is mitigated by Lake Iseo and others.

The primary grapes that make up a Franciacorta wine are pinot noir, chardonnay, and pinot bianco. There is a saten version that only consists of chardonnay and pinot bianco like a blanc-de-blanc in France. There are vintage and non-vintage Franciacorta, and which one you select determines the percentage of grapes used and the length of aging. Vintage Franciacorta require 30 months of aging with at least 85 percent of the grapes coming from that particular vintage. The non-vintage Franciacorta require 18 months of aging with a blend of vintages allowed. A reserve Franciacorta is actually aged for 60 months.

How does Franciacorta compare to Champagne? It is produced in the same classic champenoise method, but is much more reasonably priced and a creamier style of sparkling wine. The only issue is it's not as easily accessible here in the states as much of it is kept within Italy.

One of the original producers of this region that should be on your list to visit is Berlucchi winery, but there are over 70 wineries in Franciacorta to check out.

If you're looking for somewhere to base yourself out of in Bergamo, I was recently asked to write an article on the Winter Garden Hotel for Hipmunk that would be worth seeking out. If you've visited this region, what were your favorite places to visit and sights to see?

Saturday, August 1, 2015

I can't believe we're in our 10th month and 10th region in Italy discussing the food, wine and travel. We have a great group of bloggers here with travel expertise and
food and wine knowledge that we share with you month by month. This
month #ItalianFWT
virtually is taking you to the region of Sardinia. You can see my
preview post onSardiniafrom earlier in the
week giving you an overview of the region.

It's
summer time and mentally or physically being on the beach is just
what the doctor ordered for most, especially when you live in the
north in Boston like I do and just had a record year for snow.
That's why Sardinia is the perfect feature today as they have over
300 days of sunshine with a nice warm, Mediterranean climate with low
rain.

Today
I wanted to share with you a wine from Cantine
Argiolas winery located in Sardinia. This winery is located
in Serdiana, which is northeast of the capital Cagliari. The
winery has about 600 acres and produces about 400,000 bottles from
their multiple estates. The specific vineyard, Costera, is located
in one of the estates, Siurgus Donigala.

Cantine
Argiolas began back in 1938 with the patriarch of the family, Antonio
Argiolas. He later passed it down to his sons Franco and
Giuseppe whom have now passed it down to their children.

Today
the 3rd generation of the Argiolas family is operating the
winery. Cantine
Argiolas replanted their vineyards in the 1980's and has shifted the focus to be fully concentrated on quality compared to the days when quantity mattered
most. Plus, they have enlisted the help of expert wine consultant Giacomo Tachis. The family's philosophy is to focus on
native varieties of the island.

The
grape of the 2010 Argiolas Costera Cannonau that I'm sharing with you
today wine is primarily made from the main native red grape of the
island, Cannonau, but is also blended with other natives
grapes including carignano and bovale. According to wine searcher,
almost 1 out of every 5 bottles is actually made from the cannonau
grape. Argiolas grows their grapes on the gobelet
vine training system. You may be more familiar with
Cannonau than you realize. It's actually the same grape as garnacha
from Spain and grenache from France. It's been known that this grape
arrived in Sardinia during the 13th century by the
aragonese from Aragon, Spain.

The
2010 Argiolas Costera
Cannonau actually
does a secondary malolactic fermentation in glass lined concrete and
then in small oak barriques for 8-10 months. You can learn
why producers and wineries in Italy use concrete in their winemakingfrom an earlier post of mine. Full bodied, structured and warm at
14% alcohol, with juicy blackberries and a hint of pepper. I sampled
this wine just sitting on the patio with some pecorino cheese and a meatball pizza I made, but
Argiolas recommends some roast suckling pig and lamb as well.